8N 1950 lift arms not high enough

[gearle]

I'm new to the tractor world but somewhat mechanically inclined. got my 8N in very good condition two months ago. the lift arms go all the way down but only rise about 16". it will lift a 5' disk but not enough to get it completely off the ground because it tops out at the same place with or without weight. when i remove the top bolt on the lever guide and move the control past the stop they will rise to just short of the fenders where it looks like they should be (from viewing other 8n's on videos.) is there a chance i'm about make things much worse or is this acceptable, and is there a fix to get the controls back to working the way they were intended to from the factory thanks for any help. i enjoy reading about all of your advice on different topics

 

[Ozlander]

On my NAA, I use that stop bolt to set how far the arms go down, as in Mower height and so forth.
On the NAA, which I think is the same as the NAA hydraulic wise, the system won't lift the arms too high, so I think you are okay.

 

[Caryc]

On the 8N, when the lift arms are at rest (all the way down) they should measure about 8 1/2" from the ground. At their highest lift point they should measure 34 1/2" from the ground. I'm talking about measuring from the ground to the balls in the end of the lift arms.

I would remove the right side round dip stick cover and see if you can see any fluid coming down from the top cover cylinder. It sounds like you have a bad leak there. I replaced my piston with the NAA piston. Of maybe I replaced the cylinder and the piston. I did it many years ago.

 

[showcrop]

It is not clear what you are referring to by "top bolt on lever guide" and "stop". Any chance you could post a pic? It may be working as designed.

 

[wore out]

I'm new to the tractor world but somewhat mechanically inclined. got my 8N in very good condition two months ago. the lift arms go all the way down but only rise about 16". it will lift a 5' disk but not enough to get it completely off the ground because it tops out at the same place with or without weight. when i remove the top bolt on the lever guide and move the control past the stop they will rise to just short of the fenders where it looks like they should be (from viewing other 8n's on videos.) is there a chance i'm about make things much worse or is this acceptable, and is there a fix to get the controls back to working the way they were intended to from the factory thanks for any help. i enjoy reading about all of your advice on different topics

First, be sure the little draft control lever is in the "position control" (lever "up") setting.

If it still doesn't lift as high as it should, adjustment is made by LOOSENING the four bolts that hold the 3-point control quadrant assembly and tapping the flange fore or aft (I don't recall which way makes it lift higher, offhand).

Snug the bolts back up afterward.

 

[Ron Muhlenkamp]

I'm new to the tractor world but somewhat mechanically inclined. got my 8N in very good condition two months ago. the lift arms go all the way down but only rise about 16". it will lift a 5' disk but not enough to get it completely off the ground because it tops out at the same place with or without weight. when i remove the top bolt on the lever guide and move the control past the stop they will rise to just short of the fenders where it looks like they should be (from viewing other 8n's on videos.) is there a chance i'm about make things much worse or is this acceptable, and is there a fix to get the controls back to working the way they were intended to from the factory thanks for any help. i enjoy reading about all of your advice on different topics

Ford had a siclebar mower which used 6-8” extensions in place of the knuckles connecting the lift arms to the yokes from the hydraulic body. With the extensions the end of the lower control arms would come within 3-4 in inches of the ground.
Is it possible the unit you bought has those extensions?

 

[gearle]

thank you very much sir/mam "wore out". your advice "LOOSENING the four bolts that hold the 3-point control quadrant assembly" did the trick. it's amazing moving the notch back a 1/4" brings the arms almost up to fenders exactly where they should be